Adhesion of Single Bacterial Cells in the Micronewton Range

Adhesion of Single Bacterial Cells in the Micronewton Range

The adhesion of bacteria to surfaces plays critical roles in the environment, disease, and industry. In aquatic environments, Caulobacter crescentus is one of the first colonizers of submerged surfaces. Using a micromanipulation technique, we measured the adhesion force of single C. crescentus cells...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 103; no. 15; pp. 5764 - 5768
Main Authors: Tsang, Peter H., Li, Guanglai, Brun, Yves V., Freund, L. Ben, Tang, Jay X.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 11-04-2006
Subjects:
Adhesives
Bacteria
Bacterial adhesion
Bacterial Adhesion - physiology
Biofilms
Biofouling
Biological Sciences
Biophysics
Cantilevers
Caulobacter crescentus
Caulobacter crescentus - isolation & purification
Caulobacter crescentus - physiology
Caulobacter crescentus - ultrastructure
Cell adhesion & migration
Mechanical stress
Micromanipulation
Microscopy, Atomic Force
Microscopy, Fluorescence
Physical Sciences
Pipettes
Sensitivity and Specificity
Surgical suction
Tensile stress
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Summary:The adhesion of bacteria to surfaces plays critical roles in the environment, disease, and industry. In aquatic environments, Caulobacter crescentus is one of the first colonizers of submerged surfaces. Using a micromanipulation technique, we measured the adhesion force of single C. crescentus cells attached to borosilicate substrates through their adhesive holdfast. The detachment forces measured for 14 cells ranged over 0.11 to 2.26 μN, averaging 0.59 ± 0.62 μN. Based on the calculation of stress distribution with the finite element analysis method (dividing an object into small grids and calculating relevant parameters for all of the elements), the adhesion strength between the holdfast and the substrate is >68 N/mm² in the central region of contact. To our knowledge, this strength of adhesion is the strongest ever measured for biological adhesives.
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Author contributions: G.L., Y.V.B., and J.X.T. designed research; P.H.T., G.L., and L.B.F. performed research; Y.V.B. contributed new reagents/analytic tools; P.H.T., G.L., Y.V.B., L.B.F., and J.X.T. analyzed data; and P.H.T., G.L., Y.V.B., L.B.F., and J.X.T. wrote the paper.
Contributed by L. Ben Freund, March 1, 2006
ISSN:0027-8424
1091-6490
DOI:10.1073/pnas.0601705103